Box-toe blank and material for use in making the same



Feb. 2.1, 192s. 1,659,827 A J. W. MAY

BOX TOE BLANK AND MATERIAL FOB USE IN MAKING THE SAME Filed Fb. 26. 1927 Fig. 1

lnven'for John Walrer May 7 by/@JWQM Anys.

Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

JOHN WALTER MAY, or BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOX-TOE BLANK AND MATERIAL FOR'USE'IN MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed February 26, 192'?.l Serial No. 171,093.

This invention relates to a box toe blank for use in making box toes of shoes and also to a material for use in making such a blank.

@ne object of the invention is to provide a box toe blank which can .be incorporated in a shoe without any preliminary treatment such as heating or softening. This is highly advantageous as it reduces the number of operations in the making of the shoe and also eliminates the time required forsoftening the toe blank and subsequently' allowing it to dry. lVhen box toes embodying my invention are used, therefore, the different operations involved in the making of a shoe may proceed without any delaysuch as is occasioned by the steaming or softening of :i box toe before itis'lasted around the toe.

Another objectof my invention is to provide a novel toe blank which is of such a characterthat when it is incorporated in the shoe it will yield as the shoe is worn but will not become' injured or broken down by being flexed or bent.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel box toe blank which is so constructed that when incorporatedV in a shoe there will be no visible line indicating lwhere the box toe terminates.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel box toe blank which when y incorporated in a shoe will portray the trueY d character of the last and which will have a fio steel truss effect which adds materially to the strength of the box toe.

Still another objectof the invention is to provide a novel material from which' box toes having the above characteristics may be made. y Y

'In order to give an understandingof the invention I have illustrated in the drawing one embodiment thereof which willvnowv be f described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. l illustrates a strip kof the box toe material embodying my invention from which box toe blanks may be cut;

2 is an enlarged section on the line 2 2, Fig. l; n d

Fig. 3 is a view of a boxtoe blank after it has been cut from the strip;

Fig. 4 is a section through a shoe having my improved box toe blank embodied therein. said section being taken on the line 4 4. Fig. 5;

fabric or wire mesh may be embedded in` the rubber in any suitable Way. The central or body portion of the strip 3 is of substantially uniform thickness and the marginal portions 4 and 5 are bevelled or thinned to a relatively sharp edge. Y The wire mesh or wire fabric 2 is of less width than the entire strip so that the edges 7 of the wire fabric arespacedfrom the edges of the completed strip, thus making the marginal portions more flexible than the body. The difference iu Width between the wire fabric 2 and the strip 3'may vary'witliout departing from the invention but preferably the reinforcing wire fabric will extend throughout the porvtion of the strip 1 which is of substantially uniform thickness, the marginal portions of the strip outside the wire fabric being the portions which are bevelled or tapered.

This strip is made of a width so that box toe blanks 6 can be died out therefrom as shown by dotted lines 8in Fig. l,- the adjacent box toe blanks being reversed in position asis the usual practice in making box toe blanks because of the economy thus cffected in the lmaterial'.

.Each box toe blank 6 is so cut from the ,strip 3' that the curved edge 9 (which is commonly referred to as the sweep,) is located entirely outside of the wire fabric and in the flexible marginal bevelled portion of the strip which is not reinforced by the wire. while the toe 10 of the blank is formed from the 'other flexible edge of the strip, the body of the blank having the reinforcingv wire 2 embedded therein. By having the strip 3 made with both edges 4 and 5 freel from the wirefmesh and bevelled as shown the box toeiblanks 6 when cut from the strip as shown by dotted lines' in Fig. l will all be alike-.notwithstanding the fact that adja- 'cent blanks are reversed in position in the strip relative to each other.

A box toe blank made as above described has a body of rubber or rubber compound having a"reinforcing' wirey mesh embedded therein except at the sweep 9 and the toe 10. these latter portions of the blank being free from the reinforcing wire and thus being flexible.

The wire mesh which is preferably used is of such a character that whenit is bent or molded into any shape it will retain said shape and Vhence when the box toe is incorporated in the shoe in its natural state,

because of which fact both the number of operations and the time required for making the shoe are reduced. Moreover, the equipment which is required for softening or heating the box toe blanks that require this treatment is not necessary with my invention and can, therefore, be dispensed with.

When the box toe is incorporated in the shoe the toe portion 10 and the edges 12 and 13 are folded in around'the insole 14 which lies on the bottoni of the last,la suficient portion of the toe being folded under the last so lthat the edgey portion 7 of the wire mesh will be bent around the toe of the last. The wire mesh 2, of course, extends clear tothe sides 12 and 13 and hence Vwhen the box toe is incorporated in the shoe the edge of the wire meshv in the box toewill be folded under the last and anchored in the shoe'around the toe and along the side edges12 and 13 of the Abox toe. The truss structure which is thus produced is exceedingly strong and provides a box toe which will not readily break down and Vwill retain its shape as the shoe is used. Moreover, because of the character of the wire mesh the original shape may be readily restored to the box toe in case it becomes dented or deformed in any way.

It will be noted that the edge or sweep 9 of thev box toe blank which extends across v the top of the shoe is formed from one of across the top of'the lshoe where there isa` sudden change in the stiffnessof the shoev upper such as would result .if the stiffness of the box toe extended clear -to ythe sweep 9. In a shoe having my improved box toeV the upper will have the full thickness and strength ofthe box toe at the point where the wire mesh is, as shown at 15, and from the point 15 to the point 16 where the box toe terminates the stiffness ofthe shoe upper will gradually decrease to rthat of the stiff-VV ness of the upper leather alone. Hence whenV the shoe is worn the box toe does not present stiff edge at the sweep along which the upper is liable to crack. f Y

From vthe above it will be seen that a box toe blank embodying my inventionA isof a permanently -flexible. character, thc characteristic of the blank notbeing changed any during its incorporation into the shoe.

Since the body'of the blank is of rubberwhich is morey or less impervious it may be desirable to construct said blank with openings or perfoi'ations 17 which provide a degree of ventilation through thebox toe-when the latter is incorporated inthe shoe. .These Ventilating openings may either `be formed in the blank after it is cut from the stripi or maybe formed in the stripV as shown in Fig. 1.

I claim: v.

1. A box Vtoe blank formed o f rubber ma.-`

terial liavinga' reinforcing wire lmesh embedded therein, the marginal portions .of theA blank at the sweep and at the toe being free from the wire mesh and being tapered `to a thin edge.

2. A box toe blank formed of rubber ma- 3. Material for making box toeV blanks comprising a strip of rubber having a wire :mesh embedded inthe centralportion thereofand extending from one end to the lother,.

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the marginal portions of the strip being free from` the wire mesh and being of kprogressively decreasingthickness from the edges of the wire mesh to the edges of the strip.

4l. A box toe blank formed of rubber :material having a reinforcing wire mesh embedded therein, the marginal portions of the lblank at the sweep and at the toe being free from the wire mesh. 1

lli)

5. A box toe blank formed of permanentlyY e flexible rubber material having a reinforcing w-ire mesh embedded therein, the marginal portions of the blank at the sweep and at the toe being free from the wire mesh.

6. A box toe blank formed of permanently flexible rubber material having 1a reinforcing.

wire mesh embedded therein, the marginal portions of the blank Vat the -sweepiand at the toe' being free from the wire meshand being tapered toa thin edge. f

In testimony whereof, I have signedmy name to this specification.v

JOHN WALTER MAY. 

